One Winged Angel
by Lionheart1
Summary: AU SQUINOA Squall is born with a strange ability inherited from his father. Rinoa wants to prove herself to Caraway to show she can be like him but when she finds out what he really does she soon changes her mind.! I suck at summaries r&r!
1. Running From The Shadows

Author's note: Okay this is a new story that I have been planning for quite some time. It may seem a little weird and it will be a Squinoa. It kind of goes through time so the next chapter may be a few years on. This was inspired by various things, the main being Taken, Carrie by Stephen King, Devil May Cry and of course Final Fantasy VIII. Some of the parts from the game I have used in my story, as you will see from this chapter.  
  
For those of you who haven't read my story 'Nobody Can Be Born Evil' you don't have to read this part so in 3.. 2.1..read! For those of who do read my story you'll have to listen to me blab on some more (sorry). I don't think that I will be updating my other story again for a while as I feel its gone pretty dry. I have been working on it for almost a year now and its becoming more of a burden than fun to write. Please forgive me! I will tell you when I next update it I just need a break from it for a while. Okay you may read my story now.  
  
Enjoy!  
One Winged Angel  
  
Deling City, June 12, 2011  
  
Running. As fast as he could he ran, at the same time he tried to ignore the pain through his lungs every time he breathed in. He could hear his heart thumping loudly in his ear; feel the blood pumping through his veins. Every limb in his body felt as though they were about to explode.  
  
This seemed useless; he knew he was capable of killing the Galbadian soldiers who were following him. He knew he was capable but.he chose not to, that would make him as bad as them. They were catching up with him, their swords held tightly in their hands as they continued to run. Would they ever stop running?  
  
They were the lion and he the deer. Hungry for their prey,or perhaps not their prey. Galbadian soldiers were nothing but the pawns on the board; they just followed their masters' orders without question.  
  
He continued to run down the streets of Deling City, black locks of hair falling in his face. Taking a quick glance over his shoulder he saw the Galbadian soldiers closing in on him. Running on foot would not enable him to get away from them. The young man jumped into the air at a height no ordinary human could achieve and landed on the roof of a tall building.  
  
Quickly he ducked down so no one should see him and to avoid gunfire which was aiming his way. Studying the surroundings he found nothing, which would be of any use to him. He only hoped the night sky would hide him from the rest of the world. "Check on the roof" he heard one of the soldiers say to his comrade. After hearing this he realised that he wouldn't make it if he didn't fight back, wouldn't make it back to the woman he loved. Everything seemed so much simpler as images of beauty filled his mind, images of her.  
  
A soldier came through the door, which led up onto the roof and slowly stepped towards the man he had been ordered to capture. The soldier studied the man who was crouched down on the floor; he looked quite tall with his black hair loosely tied back. He guessed that he was somewhere in his early twenties. "Stand up" the soldier ordered "I have been told that if you don't co operate then I can kill you, so I suggest that you do as I say"  
  
The man seemed to be looking up towards the sky but his gaze slowly floated down to the armed soldier who stood before him. "All that running seems to have worn me out" he said calmly "I think I'll stay here for a bit"  
  
"It wasn't a question, it was an order" the soldier said surprised by his comment "Now stand up!" he shouted.  
  
Slowly the man stood up and he stared blankly at the soldier stood before him "Do you have a name?" he asked. The soldier pressed his sword into the mans neck starting to get annoyed by his attitude "Colin, but its not like it has anything to do with you" he answered "Now if you do as I say and come with me to see the president you won't get hurt"  
  
Ignoring the mans last comment the man didn't move "Its nice to meet you Colin, I suppose you know my name don't you?" "I've heard that your name is Laguna Loire. Now come with me or I'll have to kill you" Colin said putting more pressure with the sword on Laguna's neck.  
  
"Have they told you why they need me?" Laguna asked staring the soldier in the face. "Shut up with all your questions and follow me already" Colin shouted.  
  
Laguna was silent for a moment, and then answered "It looks like you'll have to kill me Colin"  
  
Colin, who was taken back by his last statement, seemed confused by this man. He seemed to have a strange look in his eyes, almost.inhuman.  
  
"Why the sudden silence?" Laguna asked curiously. "I'm not going with you so kill me. Either that or you can let me go"  
  
Colin still couldn't understand this mans attitude he seemed so calm in the situation he was in and yet he was serious about his decisions. He'd rather die than turn himself in? He knew that a good Galbadian soldier was supposed to do as he was told without questioning, even if they didn't know the reasons they were fighting for. He couldn't help but ask, even if he knew his ranking would go down. "Why do they want you?"  
  
Laguna was silent for a moment thinking of how he should answer this mans question "I'm. not like you" he said finally although he knew that the soldier would have no clue of what he was saying. He probably had only dealt with criminals before, or just simply killing people because he was told to without any explanation. The ringing of church bells celebrating the hour could be heard in the distance. He had to get away from all these Galbadian soldiers soon otherwise he would never be able to get away and end up going with them or even dying. Laguna turned to the man in front of him and without warning said three words, three simple words that would change the rest of Colin's life.  
  
"Look at me."  
  
The Galbadian soldier was a little confused but did as the man said and turned his attention back to Laguna. He found himself being drawn to his eyes, they looked as if they could see right through him and perhaps they could. His eyes seemed to be like a spiral never ending and he was getting deeper and deep like in some sort of trance, and then his world seemed to crumble away. He saw it like a home video deep inside Laguna's eyes. Colin saw himself playing in the sand when he was just a little boy, then a few years later he saw when he stole some money out of his mothers purse, a few more years forward his parents arguing in the kitchen.  
  
He screamed.  
  
All of his memories were flooding through his head, drowning him in all the emotions and feeling he'd had in his life. His legs could no longer keep him standing and he feel to the ground with a thump, although he didn't acknowledge it. Another wave of memories washed over him, all of his hopes and everything he had ever dreamed of, all of his mistakes and all of his worst fears.  
  
Drowning.  
  
Then nothing. As quickly as it came it disappeared. Once again he was alone on the roof with this strange man, but he was now a wreck and Laguna was walking away.  
  
~*~  
  
The street was lit up by all of the light streaming from the numerous buildings in Deling City. Avoiding the traffic, Laguna crossed the road, which led to the Galbadia Hotel. He stopped in front of the hotel as he saw it standing proudly with the hotel name in light and perfectly structured bricks.  
  
He pushed open the glass door and stepped inside the beautiful building with cream coloured walls, delicately carved ornaments and plants that surrounded the reception area of the hotel. It was a well-furnished place with a slight aroma of flowers and spotless of any dust which may roam in the air.  
  
As Laguna stepped up towards the front desk he was greeted by a young receptionist, her hair neatly pulled out of the way with a clip and a pair of glasses resting on the bridge of her nose.  
  
"Can I help you Sir?" asked the young lady in a friendly voice, giving him a warm smile.  
  
"Yes, I'd like to have a room for the night," Laguna answered. He knew he could not return to his home, as it was no longer safer for him to live there. This hotel wasn't exactly the safest place to be but he wanted to stay just for one night, to see his angel one last time before he left.  
  
The lady at the reception desk checked her book to make sure there was a room for him. "Can I have your name please, Sir?" she asked once she saw there was a vacancy.  
  
"Ethan Kane," he lied. He would be shocked if Galbadian soldiers didn't search for him so for his own safety he decided to use a fake name.  
  
"Here's the key to your room," she said, handing him the key. "I hope you enjoy your stay."  
  
"Thank you," he said before walking away. Once inside his room he headed into the bathroom to splash his face with cold water. Tomorrow morning he was to leave this place and go somewhere, somewhere far away where he wasn't known. He looked at himself in the mirror, his eyes looking more tired than usual but apart from that he looked the same. Pulling the band from his hair, which hadn't already come free, he let his dark hair fall loosely over his shoulders and then he turned to leave his hotel room and returned to the main area, which he had been in when he first came to the hotel.  
  
As he walked past the reception desk the young receptionist gave him one of her usual smiles. He returned the gesture with a smile of his own and then he headed down a staircase on the right side of the room. As he walked down the staircase his ears were greeted by the soft tunes of a piano played by a young woman on the stage. Hanging from the ceiling were sheets of silk which almost looked as if they were floating, lights shone down from the ceiling also, their rays pointing down onto the stage. On the other side of the room there were tables and chairs, which many were already occupied by people staying at the hotel. On the left side of the room was a bar where drinks and snacks could be purchased, a bar maid stood there pouring some liquor into a glass for a man.  
  
Laguna walked over to a vacant table in the corner, but close enough to the stage so he could see the pianist. Her porcelain face lit up by the lights from the ceiling, dark raven hair flowed freely over her exposed shoulders. The dress she wore consisted of a red wine colour along with black and gold and a slit up the side of it.  
  
She was beautiful.  
  
His eyes were drawn to her beauty, as if the music she was playing was a spell hypnotising him. He couldn't look away as if he was in a trance.  
  
The song ended and everybody applauded her. Laguna was pulled out of his trance when he heard the sound of people clapping. He forced himself to look away from her. She always seemed to do this to him, he always found himself lost in her. He had tried to talk to her before but his leg had a terrible habit of cramping up whenever he was nervous.  
  
'I'd give him a -3 on the manliness scale.'  
  
Laguna closed his eyes as a voice in his head spoke out. Two ghosts would be sat beside him right now if he hadn't been so careless. Or perhaps it should be 'them' sat here without him, it would have never happened if he had never met them. Never become friends with Kiros and Ward. They would still be here today, they wouldn't be....he couldn't bring himself to even think the word. They were like brothers to him and it had been torturing him every second since it had happened. He could still hear their screams.  
  
His senses picked up a presence coming towards him; quickly he turned his head around to see who the presence was and his heart stopped.  
  
It was her. She smiled as she saw him turn his head towards her. The look on his face turned from serious to sheer fear as he saw who it was and she couldn't help but let a small laugh escape her lips. He stood up quickly obviously feeling awkward as she approached him.  
  
"May I sit with you?" asked Julia.  
  
If they were still here, he could imagine Kiros and Ward grinning at him and finding some sort of excuse to leave him alone with Julia. He felt his leg muscles cramp up into a numbing pain as it always did when he came near her. Deciding not to think about his two friends for the moment he turned to face Julia who was standing near him.  
  
"Sure," he finally said suddenly feeling as though he couldn't breathe.  
  
She took another step closer to him and sat down beside him. She looked up towards Laguna and saw how awkward he was sitting beside her.  
  
"Did I interrupt anything?" she asked.  
  
"N-n-not al all," he replied, feeling his leg cramping up once more.  
  
"You okay now?" she asked acknowledging his leg.  
  
"Yeah uh, why wouldn't I be?" he cringed after every word he said. He knew this wasn't the best conversation he could have thought of having with Julia.  
  
"Your leg does it feel any better?"  
  
"L-leg? Oh, this? Y-yeah, it's fine. Happens all the time when I get nervous."  
  
Julia turned her attention to look into his eyes. "Were you nervous?"  
  
"Oh yeah, I'm still kinda."  
  
"You can relax. You don't have to be nervous around me."  
  
"Oh, sorry," he said simply.  
  
"Would you like to go somewhere private? I have a room here," Julia said hoping he would feel less nervous talking to her somewhere in private.  
  
"I-in your room?"  
  
"Well it's a lot quieter in there. If you'd like to, please come by. That is, if you want to."  
  
"Of course I do," Laguna said clearing his throat.  
  
Julia smiled at him. "Then I'll go ahead and wait for you. Ask for my room at the front desk."  
  
Laguna watched in disbelief as she walked away from him. It was strange what she could do to him; he wasn't human yet the sight of her made him feel so much emotion. She made him feel like he had no problems and sometimes he almost felt human. Tonight she had spoken to him for the first time and he was grateful for the chance to hear her voice.  
  
Sighing to himself he stood from his seat and made his way up the staircase back to the reception area. The same friendly face as before welcomed him and made him feel a little more at ease as he stepped up to the front desk. "Hi I'm here..I-I...." he said to the receptionist feeling a sense of nausea coming over him.  
  
"You want to go see Julia?" the receptionist said with an urge to laugh at how nervous this man seemed to be. Still feeling a nervous he gave her a simple nod to answer her question.  
  
"Her room is upstairs and the first room on the left," she said.  
  
"Thank you," Laguna said quietly before walking away. The receptionist watched as the man walked away from her. She couldn't help the suspicious feeling that had been creeping over her since he had first entered the hotel. For one thing she could have sworn his name wasn't Ethan Kane. Her thoughts were distracted when two Galbadian soldiers entered the hotel and approached her.  
  
"How may I help you?" she said with one of her usual smiles.  
  
"Can you tell me if you've seen this man?" one of the soldiers said handing over a picture.  
  
~*~  
  
"Thanks for coming," Julia said gesturing for Laguna to step inside her room.  
  
"Not at all," Laguna said feeling a little better. "Uh, thank you for inviting me."  
  
"Have a seat," she said sitting down herself by her dressing table. She picked up a brush and began brushing it through her raven black hair. Looking at her reflection in the mirror she saw Laguna stood watching her and looking a little lost. Seeing how uneasy he was she had to cover her mouth so she wouldn't laugh. "Or I guess you could just stand if you want to," she said turning to face Laguna with a smile.  
  
"Oh right, sorry," he said beginning to feel like an idiot. "It's just that I'm a big fan of yours, so I'm really kinda nervous."  
  
A smile spread across her face and she had to look at the floor although she could feel his gaze on her. "So that's why you come to hear me play so often?"  
  
At hearing this Laguna couldn't help the shock on his face. "You, you saw me?"  
  
"You were almost smiling while listening, right? You have beautiful eyes, though they look a bit scared now. Don't worry I'm not going to pluck 'em out and eat 'em," she said with a smile. "I just want to talk, gazing into those eyes."  
  
"I must be dreaming." Laguna said thinking out loud.  
  
"So tell me about yourself."  
  
"There's nothing much to say, I live in a small apartment here in Deling City," Laguna said feeling a little awkward of the subject at hand. "I'm going to be leaving soon. I want to explore and stuff." Although it was the truth, it wasn't the proper reason why he had to leave. The full truth, she would never know.  
  
"Tell me about yourself. Like your dreams for the future," he said, turning away from the subject of his life.  
  
"I-I want to sing. Not just play the piano but sing as well."  
  
Laguna couldn't help but smile, she was the most beautiful person in the world to him and she was talking about her dreams. "I'd really love to hear it."  
  
"But I can't. I'm no good at writing lyrics," she admitted.  
  
"Hmm. That must be tough."  
  
She smiled at him, one of those smiles that went right through his soul. "But thanks to you, I think I can come up with something."  
  
Once again he felt uncomfortable. "Thanks to me!?"  
  
"Yes," she said standing from her chair and stepped closer to him. "the many faces you've shown me. Times when you're hurt, worried, or felt pain deep inside you. Yore smile, your face, your eyes. You've shown me something. I think I can come up with a song."  
  
The only thing Laguna felt he could do was stare at her in disbelief. "Wow. I must be dreaming."  
  
Julia gently took hold of his hand and their eyes locked. "It's not a dream, is it?"  
  
It felt like all his fears had gone, he no longer felt nervous or afraid, he just felt her taking his heart. She was so close to him. Before he realised what he was doing the gap between them had closed and his lips were on hers. He'd never felt so safe with anyone before. There was a knock at the door and Laguna was quick to pull away from the kiss, as if a child had been caught doing something they shouldn't.  
  
Julia walked to the door to open it. She was pushed carelessly out of the doorway by a Galbadian soldier, who was entering the room, and hit her head against her dressing table. Two Galbadian soldiers were in her room, both armed and pointing their guns at Laguna.  
  
"Thought you got away did you Mr. Loire?" one of the soldiers said. "Not this time."  
  
The soldier signalled to the other soldier who pointed his gun towards Laguna, trying to ignore the desperate pleas from Julia. He pulled the trigger and there was a loud bang followed by the sound of a female scream.  
  
Laguna fell limp on the floor feeling the red wine blood flow from his stomach. Time seemed to go in slow motion as he lay there hearing faint whimpers coming from Julia who was now crying. A sharp pain ran through his head and Laguna felt himself lose control of his body. He screamed from the pain as his newly formed wings tore from beneath his skin. Spikes pierced the skin at various parts of his body and he let out another scream from the pain.  
  
Julia, along with the other two Galbadian soldiers, watched in horror as his body began shaking violently and claws tore from his skin. He slowly stood up and turned his eyes towards her, small slits instead of round circles where his pupils should be. For a long time he stood staring at her, before smashing through her window and flying out into the night sky.  
  
Authors note: Oh I can feel the flames coming through now. Like I said before, this is a squinoa, you just have to bear with me. I'm going on holiday tomorrow so please drop me a review which I'll be able to read when I get back. Review! 


	2. Finding Myself

Chapter 2

Winhill, June 17th 2011.

"And then the princess and the prince lived happily ever after," called out a little girl to the audience.

There was a small audience sat on plastic chairs in the small school hall, which mainly consisted of parents and grandparents. Among the crowd was a young woman with her long dark hair flowing freely down her back.

The group of five year olds all stood together on the stage to take a bow as the audience applauded them. A teacher appeared on the stage to thank everyone for coming and those who helped out with the play. Once again there was an applause and soon after parents stood to greet their children and return home.

A bouncy young girl skipped up to her mother with a smile on her face. Her short hair just reaching her shoulders and wearing her favourite blue dress. "Mommy, did you see me on stage?" she said as they started to walk towards the exit of the village school.

"Yes I did and you are a very good actress," the lady said as they walked out into the cool night air. "Your father will be very proud."

It pained her to talk about the girl's father; life had been hard after her husband's death a few years ago. Telling her daughter, who was only three at the time, who even harder. If she'd learnt one thing in life, it would be that no one has complete control over their lives. Fate makes its own destiny.

The rest of the journey home was very quiet and neither of them really spoke until they got back home.

When she opened the door to her home she was greeted by an old face. The lady who owned a shop nearby had agreed to look after her 'guest' while she went to her daughters play. Jane looked up from her book when she heard the click of the door opening. A little girl came running up to her and gave her a quick hug.

"Hello Ellone," Jane said as she returned the embrace. "How was your school play?"

"I was scared at the beginning," Ellone looked down at the floor as if it was something to be ashamed of. "But I did what you said and imagined everyone to be big bunny rabbits."

Jane couldn't help but chuckle at this. "And did it work for you?"

Ellone nodded her head. "Uh-huh."

"How much money do I owe you?"

Jane turned her attention to the girl's mother who stood close by with purse in hand. "Raine, I don't want any money."

Raine gave the aging woman before her a smile. Jane had always been a woman who did a good deed without expecting anything back. "Are you sure?"

"Yes dear, it's been no trouble at all anyway," she said with a wave of her hand dismissing the subject.

Raine looked down towards her daughter who was sat at the table making a tower out of bricks. "Ellone, go to the bathroom and brush your teeth to get ready for bed."

She watched as Ellone nodded her head and did as she was told, humming a nursery rhyme to herself as she went up the stairs. As soon as she had disappeared upstairs Raine turned back to Jane. "Has he woken up yet?"

Jane shook her head, she knew exactly who her friend was talking around. A couple of days ago an injured man had found his way to Raine's home. He had been constantly knocking on her front door in the early hours of the morning. When she had opened the door he had fainted and been unconscious ever since.

"He's just the same as he has been the last few days. Although at one point this evening I thought he had woken up but he was just talking in his sleep," Jane said looking at the concern in Raine's eyes. "It's very thoughtful of you to take a stranger in like this."

"He literally dropped in here anyway," Raine said with a slight smile. "And anyway, it's not like anyone else would help him. You know the people in Winhill are like whenever a stranger appears."

"I know but if you need any help you do know I'll always be here, don't you?"

"Of course, and you already have been a big help to me."

The two women walked towards the front door to say their goodbyes. Stepping out into the cold night she turned to look back at Raine. "Take care," she said before turning and making her way through the village to her home.

Raine leaned against the closed door for support and let out a slow sigh. She had to admit to herself it felt strange having a male in the house again, even if he was unconscious, but still it gave her a little warm feeling in her heart. Two years ago she had been left a lonely widow and throughout that time she felt like one by one she seemed to be giving up everything. Her heart was starting to feel the winter frost.

The sound of a voice took her out of her thoughts. She remembered that she had sent Ellone to bed and she may be waiting for her mother. Raine took her weight off the door and made her way upstairs into her daughter's room. The door was already half open with the dim glow of the nightlight spilling on to the floor. She opened the door only to see her daughter asleep on her bed. In her arms she held a book that she probably wanted Raine to read to her before she went to sleep. Soundlessly she walked across the room and kneeled down so she was the same height as Ellone.

She had never given up on Ellone. For months she had been the one who kept Raine going through life. It was probably her positive energy and face that made her feel a little less alone in the world.

Carefully taking the storybook out of Ellone's arms so as not to wake her she looked down at the hardback cover in her hands. The story was 'The Ugly Duckling'. A tale of a young and lonely duckling that was despised by the other ducks because it wasn't like them. At least that's what the rest of the ducks thought, until one day the ugly duckling shedded his feathers and became something magnificent. It was then that the other ducks realised it was the same as them all along.

Raine leaned over and kissed Ellone on the forehead and headed out of the room as quietly as she came in.

"If only life was that simple," she said under her breath looking down at the book once more.

A voice called out once more, Raine noticed that it seemed to be a man's voice that she was hearing. She looked to the hallway towards a wooden door where her injured guest lay. She walked towards the door of the guest room and pressed her head against the cool surface. Slowly Raine reached for the doorknob and opened the door being careful that she didn't make to much noise.

The first thing he felt was an aching pain running through his body. He tried to open his eyes but found that they were too heavy. Then his memories came back to him. He remembered the heavy rain pouring down on him and washing the dried blood from his arms. He had returned to his human state a few hours ago not sure where he was anymore. Since night had crept along the sky he had lost his way.

The cold wind blew through his wet locks of hair and caused him to shiver. Just a little further, he thought to himself, someone would come soon. His feet were freezing and since the grass beneath his feet was turning into wet mud. He carried on walking through the night for about an hour or so until he saw some buildings ahead and he realised he was heading towards a small village. Just a little further, he repeated in his head until he entered the village. Not entirely sure of where to go he walked towards the first house he saw. Something inside him told him that this was a safe place to go.

He knocked on the door and waited. No response. His head felt as though it was going to explode and his vision began to get blurry. He knocked louder this time. The cold rain against his skin was starting to sting, he felt weak but still he knocked on the door. It wasn't until someone opened the door that his legs could no longer hold him and his world became black.

He could hear someone approaching and so he forced his eyes to open. His vision was blurry and everything was so bright he had to close his eyes once more. The mattress of the bed lowered as he felt someone sit beside him. Once more he forced his eyes open but still the world was blurred. He just managed to make out the dark hair and smell the perfume of a woman beside him.

"J...Julia?" his voice croaked. He blinked a few times until his vision cleared and he saw a woman looking down at him with long hair falling freely, he saw something in her eyes, although he wasn't sure what it was.

It wasn't Julia.

"Who are you?" he said as he studied the woman before him.

"My name is Raine Leonhart. You came here a couple of days ago, I've been looking after you ever since."

"Oh..." he said feeling a little confused. Had he really been here a couple of days? It only felt like yesterday everything had happened.

She gave him a smile. "You can stay here until you get better, I'll change your bandages and provide you with food. As long as you don't cause any trouble that is."

He nodded his head. "Thank you, Raine." He saw her smile for the first time since he had awoken. "Could you tell me where I am?"

"You're in Winhill," she said with a slight laugh. "Is there anyone you need to contact?"

"No." That was the last thing on his mind; he knew he couldn't let anyone know he was here. There was no one he could tell anyway, he had no one anymore.

A few minutes passed with an awkward silence. Raine couldn't help but get drawn into this man's eyes. They had something strange about them, she felt like she could see right through her soul. Something about them seemed familiar.

"The Ugly Duckling," a voice finally spoke up bringing Raine back from her thoughts. She looked down at the book sat on her thighs.

"It's my daughters book," she said looking back at him. "She lives here as well, I'll introduce you to her tomorrow if you're awake."

"I'd love to meet her," he said looking into her eyes. "You're married then?"

"I used to be," she said suddenly feeling uncomfortable. "He died two years ago."

"Sorry." 

Raine waved her hand dismissing his apology. "You weren't to know. I think you should get some rest now, I'll talk to you in the morning," she said standing to her feet and walking towards the door.

"The name's Laguna."

Raine turned around to face the man once more. "Goodnight Laguna," she said before closing the door.

~*~

_A cassette found in army records at a Galbadian army base, on the outskirts of Deling City. The date is unknown but presumed to be sometime after June 12th 2011. The clients voice was later identified as Galbadian soldier Colin Graves and the psychiatrist involved was presumed to be Alison Beck._

Alison: So Colin, how are you feeling today?

Colin: Fine.

Alison: That's good. Today I was thinking that we could carry on where we left off last session. Is that okay with you?

Colin: No.

Alison: But we got so far yesterday, why the sudden change of heart?

Colin: Because.

Alison: Because what, Colin?

Colin: I don't need any help from anybody. I've already said I'm fine so can you just leave me alone.

Alison: I'm only trying to help you Colin, there are people in the Galbadian Army who have been worried about you since that night.

Colin: You don't care though, you think I'm crazy just like the rest of them.

Alison: I don't think you're crazy, and neither does anyone else. Why would you say that?

Colin: Because when I tell people what he did they send me to a shrink.

Alison: Well you haven't told me what he did to you yet. I'm sat right here just to listen to you, so why don't you tell me about it?

Colin: You'll think I'm crazy if I tell you.

Alison: You don't look crazy to me.

Colin: Okay I'll tell you. We got an order to capture the man, Laguna. We were told he was dangerous and if he didn't respond to our orders we had permission to kill him.

Alison: Were you nervous?

Colin: A little, yeah, 'cus it was my first serious mission. Anyway, it ended up with me and another soldier chasing after him and then the strangest thing happened...he jumped on the roof of a building.

Alison: If he wanted to get away he would do crazy things.

Colin: No, you don't understand. We were on the ground and he jumped on the roof of a ten-storey building.

Alison: Are you sure he jumped?

Colin: I don't know, suppose he could have had some sort of gadget to get him up there or a rope or something.

Alison: Most likely. Did you follow?

Colin: Yeah, but I had to go up using the lift instead. By the time I actually got up there I was surprised to see him still there.

Alison: What was he doing?

Colin: He was just sat there. I can remember telling him to come with me but he wouldn't move.

Alison: What did you do then?

Colin: I...I was going to kill him. I can't really remember much of what happened on the roof. Just...

Alison: Just what?

Colin: It doesn't matter, I can't remember.

Alison: I have a feeling that you can. Look how far we've come Colin. Tell me what happened when you were up on the roof.

Colin: I...he said something to me.

Alison: What did he say?

Colin: He told me to look at him.

Alison: And did you?

Colin: Yeah, it was his eyes. They changed.

Alison: What do you mean?

Colin: I can't explain it. It was like once I looked I couldn't turn away. I kept seeing things. First of all it was when I was a kid, I saw my whole past, right until the present. Even after that it didn't stop. I saw myself die in his eyes.

~*~

Winhill October 31st 2011

Raine took one last look inside the pub and switched off the light, which had been the remaining source keeping the empty tables and chairs the past hour before being swallowed up by the night. Stepping out in the frosty winter air she automatically wrapped her arms around herself to keep warm. A white smoke came from her mouth as she breathed out into the cold.

She locked the door of the pub placing the keys in her bag as she walked to the house next door.

From the inside she could hear laughter coming from her daughter. Ellone had been a little nervous when she had first met Laguna. They'd know each other for four months now and it was as if he were a family member. Although Raine wasn't sure is she liked the idea of her daughter thinking of her guest as family.

She opened the and found the living room full of Halloween decorations. On the table were two pumpkins, the inside had been scooped out and were soon to be carved into a face. A plastic skeleton hung from a wall along with various other monsters hanging around the room, but no Ellone or Laguna.

She suddenly saw her daughter jump out from under the table making a cackling laugh. She wore a black dress with a black pointy hat and in her hands was an old broom. Behind her stood Laguna proudly dressed as a pirate.

"Do yoo like our costumes?" said the witch bouncing up and down with excitement. "Me and Laguna made them ourselves."

"They're very scary," she laughed looking from Laguna to her daughter and then back again.

"I'm glad you like them," Laguna said with a smile. "Elle intended to give you a 'festive scare' when you came back home, right?"

Ellone turned to Laguna with a big smile on her face. Raine couldn't help but notice how happy Ellone had been since Laguna had turned up. She hadn't seen her smile like that for a long time.

"Right," said Ellone.

After about an hour of watching Ellone and Laguna mess around pretending to be witches and pirates and carving each house members face into pumpkins she decided to put Ellone to bed.

"Are you and Laguna gonna get married?" Ellone asked as bedding sheets were pulled over her.

Raine paused for a moment, the question catching her off guard. She had never thought about her and Laguna before whether it be friendship or relationship, she had always taken it for granted he was there. Of course he would want to leave and return back to the life he had once before, she intended that at the beginning…but why did she feel disappointed?

"I don't know," she said dismissing her last thoughts. "When he feels  up to it he'll probably return home."

"But isn't this his home here now?" Ellone asked. "Mummy, Laguna and Elle."

She saw the pleading look in her daughter's eyes, Raine wanted Laguna to stay with them as much as Ellone did. She gave Ellone a smile. "No one can predict the future…but you can still wish."

Raine kissed her daughter goodnight and returned downstairs to where Laguna was. He sat at the table with the pumpkins on. Raine pulled up a chair and sat down next to him. She looked at the two pumpkins for a moment, she picked up the bigger of the two and ran her hand down the smooth texture.

"This supposed to be me?" Raine spoke up for the first time since she had returned.

"Yeah," he said with a smile. "and that little one that was next to it is Ellone."

"It's a shame you didn't have another to do yourself."

"I'm not part of this family though," he said looking her in the eye. Their gazes locked for a moment and the room was filled with an awkward silence for the following couple of minutes until finally Raine broke it.

"Where did you live?"

Laguna looked away from her and rubbed the back of his neck. "Deling City," he said feeling slightly uncomfortable. All of the four months he had been here she had never questioned his life, he should have known this would come.

"Is it nice there?" she asked still looking at him although he couldn't look at her anymore, this was too hard for him.

"Yeah, I guess if you like busy places," he found himself saying.

"Must be different from Winhill."

"It is, but Winhill's a nicer place."

He saw Raine pick up a newspaper and look at the front-page story. "When are you leaving?" she asked.

Laguna looked at Raine now and her eyes were locked with his. "I can leave as soon as possible I guess...if you don't want me here."

This time Raine was the one to turn away. "Ellone wants you to stay...and so do I, I guess."

Laguna reached his hand under her chin so that he could look into her eyes. "Thank you," he said softly.

"For what?" she asked suddenly feeling like she couldn't breath.

"For what?" Laguna repeated her last statement. "For taking care of me and allowing me into your home. I probably would have died if it wasn't for you, or even worse."

"I'm sure anyone would have done the same," Raine stated simply.

"Not everybody, no. I'm sure lots of people around here wouldn't have let a stranger in their home, regardless of their injuries."

They were both silent for a moment, both unable to look away until Raine spoke up.

"What did you mean..." she paused for a moment trying to find the right words. "You said you could have died or even worse."

"I'm sure you know there are points in your life when death seems so much easier than a path you have to walk down," he said quietly.

"Yeah," Raine said feeling her heart sink. "It's usually when something bad happens and you end up afraid of the future because you don't know where your path leads."

Laguna knew what she was talking about, he could always see an emptiness in her eyes. Even when she smiled or laughed  he could see an empty hole, a hole that had formed when her husband died.

He had told her the truth about how death seemed easier than a path he would probably have to walk down someday. Being captured by the Galbadian Army and taken to a lab to be tested on like a hamster. Ever since being at Winhill with Raine he felt...human. With Ellone and Raine he was a normal man with a family... his family.  Laguna wrapped his arms around Raine and pressed his lips against hers in a passionate kiss. 

To fill both their empty holes. 

Authors note: Firstly, I know that Ellone isn't Raine's daughter but I felt I had to change the storyline a bit to make sense. I think that I've forgotten to mention that I might include some sections of articles all will be written by moi of course. Thanks to everyone who reviewed Phoenix Blade, JML and Rhi-an. Hopefully I'll get more than three reviews this chapter  as I've spent a very long time planning this thing out! But still, thank you so much for all the advice given from those three reviewers. 

I'm not sure when I will be updating next as school has started and it likes to go over the top with homework and coursework. I will update as soon as I can though!  


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